Amherst to consider 18 articles when fall Town Meeting begins

AMHERST – The weather might have wreaked havoc with Town Meeting preparation, but the meeting will begin Monday night at 7:30 p.m. as planned.

The surprise pre-Halloween snowstorm forced the postponement of a bus tour to areas under consideration for zoning changes, as well as some precinct meetings, in which residents learn more about the articles coming up at the meeting.

The 18-article warrant includes adopting zoning changes for the North and South Amherst village centers, part of which involves what is called form-based zoning. That zoning would regulate the overall design of new development in relation to how it fits with the environment.

The Select Board supports the change by a vote of 4 to 1 and the Finance Committee voted to support it 4 to 3.

According to the committee report to Town Meeting, those voting against it did not oppose the intention of the changes. But according to the report “did not see a clear financial impact” on finances.

Voters are also being asked to support funding for repairs of the War Memorial Pool in the amount of $297,600. The town is hoping to receive a grant to help with the project cost, but both the Finance Committee and Select Board support the work regardless of the town’s success with the grant.

Officials had been hoping to learn about the grant before the start of Town Meeting.

Town Meeting is being asked to approve spending $4.2 million to extend the town sewer to two neighborhoods. The Select Board is supporting the measure and recommending that the project be paid for by all sewer users rather than with betterment fees. The Finance Committee is deferring its recommendation until Town Meeting.

About 93 percent of the town already has sewer service.

In a resolution initiated by residents, voters are also being asked to re-establish a Committee on Homelessness. The Select Board recently dissolved that committee as well as the Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee.

The Finance Committee is not taking a position on the article.

According to the resolution, the new committee’s mission would be to participate in regional and local discussions to prevent and end homelessness, provide recommendations to the Select Board and town manager on the best ways to end homelessness and help the town secure a permanent site for a homeless shelter among other stipulations.